Adjustable door frame



Jan. 27, 1970 P. R. CHERNO 7 3,491,487

ADJUSTABLE 000R FRAME Filed Aug. 26. 1968 INVENTOR.

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United States Patent 3,491,487 ADJUSTABLE DOOR FRAME Philip R. Chemo,730 W. Los Palmas Drive, Fullerton, Calif. 92632 Filed Aug. 26, 1968,Ser. No. 755,326 Int. Cl. E06b 1/06 US. Cl. 49-504 2 Claims ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF INVENTION The use of a variety of doorthicknesses in the building industry has required a correspondingmultiplicity of door frames and door stops to make the doors fit flushwith the door frame edge when installed. This is due to the fact that inthe usual installation, the door stop which extends vertically along thejambs and horizontally along the top edge, is an integral part of thedoor frame side and top members or is a strip which must be nailed inposition to custom fit the door with which it is to be used. Typically,each of the vertical door jambs and the top edge are made from a singlepiece of wood cut to include both the frame member and the stop member.This is accomplished by milling out the exterior side of the door framemember on either side of the stop, thus leaving the stop as a ridge-likeprotrusion along the entire length of the frame member, spaced by astandard distance from the frame edge for use with a standard widthdoor. The door stop protrusions are intended to abut the door on its twovertical edges and at its top edge when the door is in a closedposition. The door stop protrusions are so located that, in the closedposition, the side of the door which does not abut the door stops fitsflush with the edge of the door frame.

Since the door frame and door stop vertical and horizontal members areone piece construction there is the disadvantage that, once installed,the door frame is adaptable to but one thickness of door since any otherthickness would not fit flush with the door frame edge. In addition, thetypical door frame will accommodate only a door which swings in onedirection because the door will normally be of a thickness which doesnot allow the stop member to be centrally located on the face of thedoor frame members. Thus, if the door were hinged so that it abutted onthe wrong side of the door stop, it would not fit flush with the outsideof the door frame members. For example, the door frame may accommodate adoor which is hinge mounted for swinging in but not one which is mountedfor swinging out.

Heretofore door frames have been adaptable for receiving different sizedoors by reversal of the whole door frame which involves extensivemodification of the frame itself and the partition on which it ismounted. In the case of custom fitted frames, the stops have been nailedin position to accommodate the individual door but this requires extratime and labor to accomplish.

A more adjustable door frame is needed so that once installed it may beeasily adapted for use with doors of different thicknesses mounted forswinging in dilferent directions. The frame should be easily adjustableeven after 3,491,487 Patented Jan. 27, 1970 the jambs and top member arefixed in position in the structure.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION This invention is directed to a door frame having aremovably mounted door stop thereon which is particularly adaptable foruse with doors of two different thicknesses, either of which may swinginto or out of the door frame and still fit flush with the edge of thedoor frame. This is accomplished by the use of an off-centerlongitudinally extending tongue which protrudes from the back surface ofthe door stop and a mating groove in the door frame which is adapted toreceive the tongue. horizontally inverting the stop member on thehorizontal frame member will change the spacing between the edge of thedoor frame and the surface of the stop which abuts the door. In thismanner doors of different thicknesses can be accommodated by the framefor swinging from either the front or rear of the frame.

One feature ofthis invention is the adjustability of the door frame onceinstalled in a panel.

Another feature of the door frame is the consequential reduction ininventory required by a supplier since one type of adjustable door framewill replace a variety of customary frames. The supplier need only stocka standard frame with grooved jambs and upper cross piece plus a varietyof removable tops for doors of different thicknesses.

Another feature of this invention is the simplicity with which the framecan be adjusted for use with different thickness doors with no measuringor aligning of the stop the heads of nails or screws which are used toattach the door jamb to the panel or wall on which it is mounted. Sincethe stop member is placed in the groove after the jamb is installed,heads of nails or screws may be countersunk into the door stop grooveand hidden by the door stop.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is an elevation of the door framewith a door installed for opening into the drawing so that the door stopmay be seen at the perimeter of the door;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 2-2 ofFIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view corresponding to the section in FIGURE 2but with the door stop inverted endfor-end.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT cross section as shown in FIGURES 2and 3 and extend for the entire length of the jambs 16 and the topmember 17 in conventional manner. Each of the stop members 12 isprovided with a pair of door abutting surfaces 18 and 19 which form theopposite ends of the rectangular stop member sections shown in FIGURES 2and 3. Each of the stops is also provided with a doorway-facing surfacewhich is adapted to be painted or finished to enhance the appearance ofthe door frame. The opposing surface 22 of the stop member is milled toprovide a longitudinally extending, outwardly protruding, off-centertongue 24. The tongue 24 divides the stop member 12 into a short endportion 26 which spaces abutting surface 18 from the tongue 24 and alonger end portion 27 whioh spaces abutting surface 19 from the tongue24. The tongue 24 protrudes outwardly from surface 22 by a sufficientdistance, so that it can fit into a mating groove 30 on the jambs 16 andthe top member 17. The tongue is also sufficiently wide so that it willbe strong enough to withstand the shear force of a door closing againsteither of abutting surfaces 18 and 19.

The jambs 16 are basically vertically extending side pieces for thedoorframe constructed from conventional materials and each having acentrally located, longitudinally extending groove 30 milled therein.The grooves 30 receive the tongues 24 so as to temporarily frictionallyretain the stop members 12 in the jambs. The stop members may bepermanently mounted in the j ambs when the frame is completed bynailing, gluing or otherwise aflixing the stop members in place. Forexample the jamb 16 and the top member 17 may be first mounted in placeby attaching the jambs to the wall studs 32 (see FIG. 2) with nails orwood screws and attaching the top member 17 to the jambs. The stopmembers 12 are then placed in the doorway in the preferred orientationby pressing the tongues 24 in the grooves 30.

The door jamb 16, and the door stop 12 are normal ly made of wood oraluminum which is shaped or extruded in any convenient manner. Anysuitable construction material may be used however.

FIGURE 2 shows the door stop 12 mounted on the door jamb 16 with itsoff-center longitudinally extending tongue 24 oriented so that thelonger end portion 27 of the door stop 12 extends toward the viewer asseen in FIGURE 1. As indicated in FIGURE 2, this placement of the doorstop will accommodate either a thick door 10(a) hinge-mounted forswinging into the drawing as seen in FIGURE 1 or a thin door 10(1)),shown in phantom lines, hinge-mounted for swinging in the oppositedirection if such is desired.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view similar to that shown in FIGURE 2. However,the door stop 12 has been vertically inverted end-for-end so that it isinserted with the cit-center longitudinally extending tongue 24 in thegroove 30 so that the shorter end portion 26 and abutting surface 18would face forward as viewed in FIGURE 1: As indicated by the phantomlines in FIGURE 3, this placement of the door stop will accommodateeither a thin door 10(0) which is mounted for swinging into the drawingin FIGURE 1 or a thick door 10 (d) which is mounted for swinging out ofthe drawing in FIGURE 1. The most common door thicknesses in thebuilding industry are 1%" and 1%" so that the stop members arepreferably formed so that doors of these sizes, when installed, willhave their outside face fitting substantially flush with the wall 8.

It can be seen from FIGURES 2 and 3 that the door stop members 12 areseparate and removable from the door jambs 16 and the top member 17(whose cross section is virtually identical to the jamb sections shownin FIGURES 2 and 3) and that the off-center longitudinally extendingtongue 24 on the door stops 12 is frictionally held in the groove 30 onthe door jambs 16. The stop member 12 may be permanently mounted in thegroove 30 of the door by any convenient means including nails, screws,or adhesives.

By constructing these member separately and installing them with thegroove, as shown, the stop member can easily be vertically invertedend-for-end thus shifting its position and ability to receive swing-inor swing-out flushfitting doors of two different thicknesses without anymodification of the frame member itself and without measuring or otherdifliculty in properly spacing the stop member. The tongue and groovecombination will align the stop member such that door of the proper sizewill fit flush when installed.

The horizontal door frame top member 17 is constructed in a mannersimilar to the construction of the vertical sections shown FIGURES 2 and3. The stop member 12 at the top of the frame is adjusted for differentdoor widths by horizontally reversing it end-for-end in a mannersubstantially similar to the method discussed for adjusting the verticalstop members 12.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A door frame comprising a horizontally extending top member and apair of vertically extending jamb members, said top and jamb membersbeing of preselected Width;

an elongated stop member removably mounted on said door frame having apair of spaced oppositely facing door abutting surfaces and alongitudinally extending tongue protruding from one surface thereofintermediate the door abutting surfaces but off center with respect tothe door abutting surfaces, and each of said door frame members having acentrally located longitudinally extending groove therein snuglyreceiving said tongue for positioning the stop member with the front andrear edges of the tongue engaging the front and rear edges of thegroove, said tongue and groove having substantial width such that thetongue can easily withstand the door closing forces without shearing,said stop member being reversible end for end so that either of saiddoor abutting surfaces can be mounted to face toward the front of saiddoor frame or towards the rear of the door frame whereby the frame canbe used with two thicknesses of doors or with either swing-in orswingout doors with said doors being mountable in the frame so that whenone side of the door is contacting one of the door abutting surfaces ofthe stop member, the other side is substantially flush with the edge ofthe door frame members.

2. A door frame as defined in claim 1 wherein the distance between oneedge of the door frame and one of said door abutting surfaces is about 1and inches,

' and the distance between the other edge of the door frame and the doorabutting surface on the stop member is approximately and inches.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,806,467 5/1931 Kleinknecht49505 XR 1,877,977 9/1932 Rowland et al. 4933O XR 2,929,446 3/1960Kuehnlein 49-382 XR KENNETH DOWNEY, Primary Examiner 2 33 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,491,487 DatedJanuary 27, 1970 Inventor(s) Philip R. Cherno -It is certified thaterror appears in the above-identified patent and that said LettersPatent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Col. 2 line 13, before "horizontally" insert -Due to its off-centertongue vertically inverting the door stops end-for-end on the verticalframe members and-; Col. 2, line 26, "tops" should be -stops--; Col. 4,line 3 "member" should be -members--; Col. 4, line 11, after "that" add--a-- SIG-NED mo SEALED I F JUN 3 0870 Anest:

Edward M- Fletcher, I!" V E. b enia; Atteating Officer Oomiaslom of P-a

